If you've been reading the last few podcasting posts I've written, you'll notice that it seemed to be leading to something. Well, it is. This past Sunday, my co-host and I announced that it was time to end our podcast.

"So why encourage us to make podcasts when you're currently ending one?" you're not asking, but you’re totally thinking. I know it! Don’t deny it, Stan!

Let me be clear: We're still going to make podcasts and produce content. In fact, one of the reasons Sue and I decided to end our current project after five years was to start something new that would be more in line with what we enjoy and utilizing our particular skills. This is going to take some time in terms of planning and organization--not to mention the holiday hullabaloo--and we'll most likely be releasing that new podcast in the spring. It's a very exciting time!

That being said, this is pretty sad for any podcaster. Especially when it’s your first podcast, which this was for me! Our show started in 2011 as a supplemental show on a bigger show’s network for a very long time. We worked hard on it, creating show notes and editing audio files down from 1.5 hours to just about 45 to 50 minutes. We had so much fun during the process. (Except that one time when Call Recorder didn’t record our one hour of conversation. That was something traumatic and I will never forget it.)

At the same time, we were finding our voices along the way. I started interjecting more comedy and allowing more swear words into recordings, and my co-host introduced discussions based on art and social issues. It was around this time that I thought, "Wow, we're pretty good at this. We can probably do our own thing one day."

In September, I saw a space that wasn’t being filled and I realized I wanted to make the effort to fill it. I realized that it was going to take work and time, and I couldn’t do that in addition to real-life necessities and goals. Something had to give, and it made sense to replace one podcast with another. We had reached a good place to stop. I mean, we were complaining about Steven Moffat’s writing on Doctor Who before it was cool to do so--when a trendy idea becomes popular, go start a new one.

Here's the thing: It's always sad to leave an old podcast behind. In fact, the fear that no one is listening or you don't know your style is one of the many reasons that people quit before they even start. However, the act of making something, podcast or not, is how you develop that voice and make it stronger. You may stick with the first podcast you started, you may let it go to start a new one. If or when something ends doesn't matter as long as you start it.

I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on developing a new podcast with you guys.

In the meantime, do the thing!

KC Ryan is an improv graduate turned Sketch Writing Level 2 student. When she’s not working at the day job, she is a writer and podcaster for everything that combines feminism, comedy, theatre, and nerdery. She also performs in the puppet improv troupe Empty Inside.